Nature and film

Alfred Hitchcock

Already in the twentieth century, the cinema has developed a penchant for the films portraying the wildlife and world of nature. An imminent introduction of television into people’s lives boosted those motion pictures’ popularity even further. The question whether nature is indeed the real protagonists remains unanswered.

Are auteur and mainstream film directors completely oblivious to the flora and fauna as opposed to tv-producers? Fotofestiwal offers you a chance to see some of the greatest films on nature that changed the language and course of cinema’s history. Immerse yourself in the independent and commercial productions from all over the world that examine people’s relation with nature, including genre and feature films, the irony and humor of which will keep your spirits up throughout the summer.

Our film section opens with a precursor of filmmaking, natural filmmaker and amateur director all at once. A genuine masterpiece of celluloid artistry could as well be screened by VJ-s at some roaring music festival. This meditative, immersive film is a tribute to the astonishing work and achievements of naturalist, inventor and pioneering filmmaker F. Percy Smith. Smith worked in the early years of the 20th century, developing various cinematographic and micro-photographic techniques to capture nature’s secrets in action. Working in a number of public roles, including the Royal Navy and British Instructional Films, Smith was prolific and driven, often directing several films simultaneously, apparently on a mission to explore and capture nature’s hidden terrains. Minute Bodies is an interpretative edit that combines Smith’s original footage with a new contemporary score by Tindersticks to create a hypnotic, alien yet familiar dreamscape that connects us to the sense of wonder Smith must have felt as he peered through his own lenses and seen these micro-worlds for the first time.

The cult classic and one of the greatest mystery horrors in the history of cinema makes nature the villain in the story that masterfully builds up tension and makes sure you will never look at birds flocking around the city without a sense of wary trepidation. However, the fact that nature is paramount to the narrative seems often overlooked. Join us and revisit the classic, but this time around keep in mind the master’s view on human relation with nature articulated by the ornithologist in the famous restaurant scene and ask yourself if the 1963 vision of the apocalypse is really as far-fetched as it might seem. Judging from the current state of environment and the incidence of natural disasters around the globe, this cinematic tour de force is even more relevant today than it was over fifty years ago.

Even though its festival run has only just begun, you can surely pronounce this film a cinematic gem. Filmed in the old growth forest in Lithuania, The Ancient Woods is an epitome of quality filmmaking on par with the BBC and National Geographic series. Prior to the recording of hundreds of hours of raw footage with the Ultra HD camera, Mindaugas Survila devoted 18 years to the pre-production process of the film. Then, he decided to replace a typical flashy editing and evocative soundtrack with real-life sounds of nature. There’s also no commentary, only the rich, almost palpable sounds of the forest and the magical situations captured by the camera. Although we might sometimes be puzzled as to what’s actually happening- a mating ritual or the start of a fight?- the lack of explanation leaves space for us to associate freely and simply experience the images. The film premiered at the IDFA: International Film Festival in 2018. It was also shown during Docs Against Gravity Film Festival.

The screening will be accompanied with short masterpiece about human impact on envoiroment, from personal, every-day life perspective, “Linge noir”. A woman fishing in turbid waters, a suffering nature, the broken chant of the
muezzin, all linked by a thin black line.

Special screening is organized in collaboration with the Lithuanian Center in Warsaw.

Along the rhythm of the seasons, beasts and humans regard each other. Bestiary unfolds like a picture book about mutual observation. The camera follows not only the animals in the zoo, but also their inanimate representations in modern culture: gadget teddy bears, posters with horses on walls and stuffed animals in museum cabinets. A convention of slow-cinema yields itself to multiple interpretations. The film was screened at Sundance Film Festival (2012) and the Forum Section at Berlinale.

If Herzog had seen this film, he wouldn’t have made “Grizzly Man” the following year. The Wild Parrots of the Telegraph Hill tells a feel-good story about the incredible bond between the man and the animal. A heartfelt portrayal of a homeless person discovering and taking care of a flock of parrots manages to get the best of both worlds while steering clear of clichéd sentimentalism. Additionally, it breaks new ground in the tradition of nature filmmaking, since the human component is in fact secondary to the narrative. The main characters of this low-budget VHS-like production from the early 2000s are individual parrots with unique personalities that are no longer anonymous members of a bird flock.

Hailed as a masterpiece, Walkabout directed by Nicolas Roeg is the unquestionable epitome of the road movie and the so called survival cinema despite the fact that over the years it has slipped into oblivion. Into the Wild by Sean Penn would have never seen the light of day, if it weren’t for this film. Style of directing demonstrated by Roeg inspired generations of filmmakers, including Christopher Nolan and Steven Soderberg. As one of the pioneers of the Australian New Weave, Walkabout was included in the prestigious Criterion Collection by the BFI. The film is a regular mention on the lists of “the films you need to see before you die” drafted by influential magazines and media.

A journey of two white children through the frontier evokes a powerful and ruthless side of nature. The audience observes a confrontation of the Western civilization with the colonized nation in the East. The film made in the bygone era of no censorship and PG-ratings stirred up controversies due to its unabashed display of nudity and violence. Still, the world which unfolds right in front of the viewer’s eyes is one of the most poetic sensual and uncompromising portrayals of adolescence and death. It’s the story about “life and being alive” in the wilderness, as Roeg himself said.

Second series of the ingenious BBC nature documentary has earned rave reviews even from the most snotty critics. Three years and a total of 2089 days of shooting held during 117 expeditions to over 40 different countries are a spectacular crown achievement of the film crew that succeeded in capturing the wildlife, flora and fauna, as well as previously unseen animal species and phenomena. The elusive almost completely blind river dolphins, pygmy three-toed sloths, the Biblical confrontation with a snake on a volcanic island, shimmering spiderwebs and lemurs on cacti are all shot and edited with the quality, suspense and bravado worthy of the blockbuster superhero films.

A screening features two outstanding episodes in the series: Episode One and Six, the latter of which presents cities as the animal habitats. Additionally, we will try to decide what the mini-series actually tells us about the world and ourselves. The introductory remarks on the history of nature documentaries will be delivered by Justyna Kociszewska, a curator of Fotofestiwal’s film programme.

Christian Frei, the director of War Photographer, returns to Fotofestiwal with his latest film documentary about the results of the Russian archeological excavation, which ruthlessly exposes the true nature of humanity. On the Siberian Islands, hunters are searching for the tusks of extinct mammoths. Such findings are magnets for the high-tech scientists who teeter on the edge of synthetic biology and genetic engineering in order to bring the extinct woolly mammoth back to life. Resurrecting the mammoth is a first manifestation of the impending all-encompassing technological revolution. Man becomes Creator, Genesis 2.0 ensues. Why not? Nowadays, people are ready to splurge thousands of dollars on their dead dog’s cloning handled by the China National GeneBank…

Film screening heralds the July film festival organized by one of the partners of Fotofestiwal- the National Centre for Film Culture in EC1 Łódź.

A group of smug yet naïve Americans is attacked by mother nature…manifesting itself as gigantic ferocious beasts. Ludicrous plot and dialogues accompanied by special effects typical of the golden age of B-movies will have the audience squeal with sheer delight. As always, Maurycy Chełmiński, the esteemed guest of honor at this ridiculous event and director of the non-existent movie Pleśń (Mold), will provide a live commentary to the film.

In the tradition of many Asian cultures, nature world acts as a hero in many works of art – be it poetry, paintings or films. Contemplation of nature is there not only an act of admiring its beauty, but also a spiritual and philosophical experience. Chun, the captain of a small transport ship sailing up the river Yangtze, finds an old notebook filled with poems by someone who took the same route a decade earlier. The slow journey down the biggest Chinese water tract is paced to the rhythm of poetic verses and half-chance meetings with a mysterious woman who takes on a different form in every port.

The majestic beauty of the scenery and the striking expanse of the industrial landscapes are breathtaking – the cinematography for the film brought Mark Lee Ping-bing (“In the Mood for Love,” “The Assassin”) a Silver Bear at Berlinale. The winter journey from Shanghai to the origins of Yangtze on the Tibetan Plateau becomes not only an individual, existential journey of the protagonist, but also a meditation on the history of a country undergoing radical, irreversible changes, but at the same time immersed in the past and rediscovering its own ancient history. Yang follows the lead of classic literature, which portrayed Yangtze at the river of time. He combines crude realism with mythical symbols and elusive fantasy, creating a hypnotic epic – a modern-day Chinese odyssey.

(by Jagoda Murczyńska)

Film screening is organized in collaboration with the Five Flavours Asian Film Festival.